The present application relates to hair drying apparatus and methods. More particularly, the present invention is directed to hair drying apparatus with air blowers selectively joined to blow air in a common direction or detached to blow in separate independent directions and a method for drying hair using the hair drying apparatus.
Electrical heating and air blowing dryers are a popular supplemental means for drying and styling of hair. The blown air helps speed the drying of wet hair; warm or cool air facilitates styling of the air. Conventional hand-held hair dryers contain a fan motor, a fan, and a heating coil within a hair dryer housing, and are typically controlled by a pair of switches. The fan motor draws air into the dryer housing through an air intake. The heating coil heats air entering the housing through the air intake. The fan then forcefully expels the heated air from the housing through an air outflow nozzle. The air nozzle directs the air out of the housing in a generally single stream whose direction is dictated by the orientation of the outlet nozzle. Typically, one switch regulates the amount of heat generated by the heating coil and thus the temperature of the air stream exiting the housing through the air outflow. Often, the heating switch has settings for no heat, low heat, and high heat. Another switch regulates the volume of air which the motor forcefully expels from the air outflow nozzle. Often, the blower switch has settings for low airflow, high airflow, and off. An electrical power cord extends from the dryer housing and terminates in an electrical plug which connects the hair dryer to an electrical power supply.
Conventional hair dryer are used by individual consumers as well as hair stylists to dry or style hair. For convenience, the term xe2x80x9cstylistxe2x80x9d is used herein to refer to any person who uses a hair dryer for drying and/or styling of hair, which person may be an individual consumer at home, traveling, or elsewhere, or may be a hair stylist at a salon, for non-limiting examples. To use the hair dryer, the stylist connects the hair dryer to an electrical power supply. The stylist selects a dryer heat setting. If the stylist requires more heat to dry or style the hair, then a high heat setting is selected. Similarly, for drying or styling which require less heat or no heat, the stylist selects the respective settings for low heat or no heat. The stylist also selects the amount of airflow to be expelled through the nozzle. If the stylist desires a greater amount of air to be expelled from the nozzle, then a high airflow setting is selected. A setting for low airflow is selected if the stylist desires a lesser amount of air to be directed from the nozzle. The stylist then holds the nozzle of the dryer in a position relatively near and pointed toward the location of the hair which is to be dried or styled. As air is drawn into the dryer housing, the heating coil (if selected) heats the air. The fan motor turns the fan to expel the air through the nozzle in a stream of air directed to a particular area of hair to be dried or styled.
Conventional hair dryers, however, expel only a single stream of air when in use. This single airstream necessarily limits the amounts of hair which may be dried or styled at any one time to hair located on a single side of the head. Drying time for all of the hair may be significant. The time for drying hair may be decreased by employing the simultaneous use of two dryers to dry the hair. However, because the stylist must then hold multiple dryers while attempting to dry and style the hair, the task of drying the hair is made more difficult.
It thus is seen that a need remains for a hair dryer and method for selectively directing air simultaneously in independent directions or in a common direction to facilitate hair drying and styling. It is to such that the present invention is directed.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for selective engaging air blowers for directing air in a common direction or selectively in separate independent directions when drying hair. The hair dryer of the present invention comprises a first air blower and a second air blower. Each has a motor for operating a fan and a housing with an air inlet and an air outlet. The hair dryer provides means for selectively detachably engaging the first air blower and the second air blower, for communicating air in a common direction for drying hair or being detached for blowing air in independent directions for drying hair.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of drying hair, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a first air blower having a mating member of a first character and a second air blower having a mating member of a second character, each of the first air blower and the second air blower have a motor for operating a fan, and a housing with an air inlet and an air outlet; and
(b) connecting the opposing mating members of the first air blower and the second air blower for operating the first and the second air blowers as a single unit for directing air in a common direction.
Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description of the invention and claims in view of the appended drawings.